47

Xiao Qiao washed the lotus leaves, cut them into pieces, and brought them to work the next day.

Lotus leaf tea is naturally cooling, so Xiao Qiao only dared to put in a little. The tea, when boiled, was brown and fragrant. After finishing a class, Xiao Qiao picked up the tea to drink.

She drank it all day, and she felt that today she didn’t feel as hot or thirsty as usual. Normally, drinking lotus leaf tea would make her run to the bathroom, but today that didn’t happen.

With the thought “Did I put in too little lotus leaf?”, Xiao Qiao was then invited by a friend to have barbecue for dinner.

“Oh no, I’m definitely going to gain weight tomorrow!”

After the meal, Xiao Qiao started regretting it.

Barbecue is greasy and spicy, she was sure to break out in pimples tomorrow!

She spent a nervous night, and the next morning, Xiao Qiao stared at the mirror for a long time.

She leaned in to inspect, gently pulling at her skin, wondering if there was something wrong with her eyes.

Why wasn’t there a single pimple?

In fact, her face didn’t even seem swollen.

Xiao Qiao, in disbelief, stepped on the scale, and was even more shocked.

She had actually lost a pound!

Xiao Qiao sat on the bed, completely confused.

After a long time, she finally reacted and hurriedly called her mother.

“Mom, mom, mom, mom, can you ask Lin You if she’s selling lotus leaves?!”

On Lin You’s side, she hadn’t been thinking about generating income from the lotus pond, her focus was on the watermelons.

Only about half of the watermelon field was sold to Huihe, and for the remaining part, Lin You first went to find Yao Yun.

It was the end of the preschool semester, and recently, some parents of preschool-age children were asking for information, wanting to pre-register their kids. What made Yao Yun happy was that, while most parents still preferred sending their children to the county city, this year several parents had clearly stated that they would send their kids to the kindergarten because of the food.

Every year at this time, the kindergarten’s principal would worry. In recent years, more and more parents took their children to the county halfway through the year, leading to a decline in enrollment. This year, however, things were going more smoothly than the previous year. The principal, happy with the situation, immediately increased the budget for the cafeteria and gave Yao Yun a large red envelope. The red envelope was both a reward for Yao Yun and a token of appreciation for her hard work, as the principal had decided to make the cafeteria a highlight of the kindergarten.

When Lin You arrived, Yao Yun was in a meeting with the principal. Every year, between the two semesters, the kindergarten holds a summer daycare program that lasts about 50 days.

Many parents were unsure where to send their kids in the fall, so they would send them to the summer daycare first. If everything went well, they would naturally continue in the fall.

So, the summer daycare program was crucial. The principal wanted to gather the parents of the current students for a meeting before the semester ended. It wasn’t just a regular meeting, it was a chance for everyone to gather, eat, drink, and summarize the children’s progress, while also showcasing the kindergarten’s offerings to set the stage for the summer program.

“The cafeteria is the top priority. Remember to discuss with the bun shop to ensure we have every filling available.”

Recently, Yao Yun had arranged with the couple running the bun shop, Yao Xiangjun and his wife, to provide steamed buns as snacks for the children every day, along with a bottle of milk. Since the buns were for children, and they were worried about arguments over meat versus vegetarian fillings, they made the buns smaller, with each child getting one meat-filled and one vegetarian-filled bun, each about the size of a child’s palm.

The snacks were an immediate hit with the children, and now some parents were even asking if the kindergarten could provide breakfast. The food was so good that some children didn’t even eat breakfast at home and saved their appetites for the buns.

For the complaints that were giving parents headaches, the principal couldn’t help but feel pleased.

“The parent meeting will be buffet-style, with snacks from the cafeteria. The budget can be slightly increased.”

Yao Yun, jotting down the principal’s words, also offered her own suggestion: “How about we add some main dishes and vegetables, and even have skewers? Parents can bring their kids for a barbecue or hotpot?”

Yao Yun made the suggestion casually, as many newcomers in the town recently had been doing exactly that.

The principal’s eyes immediately lit up, she had more ideas than Yao Yun: “Yes! We can have lunch by the river!”

It would be great to host it at the kindergarten, but holding it outside would also serve as excellent promotion!

Other teachers also chimed in.

“I think by the river is a good idea, and we can organize some parent-child activities.”

“Then we need to ensure safety. Should we report it to the town?”

“No need to. We’ll have separate sessions for the big, middle, and small classes, and as long as the number of people doesn’t exceed 100, there’s no need for a report.”

“True, if we did it all at once, we wouldn’t have enough manpower.”

“We can organize the parents to make skewers, so the kids can experience the fun of cooking.”

The group brainstormed, finalizing the schedule for the parent meeting.

The principal was very pleased and reminded Yao Yun to go buy some drinks.

Yao Yun nodded and went to the back kitchen to prepare the meal. Before long, Lin You came over.

Lin You didn’t beat around the bush and directly asked Yao Yun: “The watermelons in my field are ripe. Do you want some?”

The reason Lin You was offering to supply Yao Yun was that she remembered the promise she had made to her before. Back then, Yao Yun had only said that she hoped Lin You would sell her any extra produce.

But since then, the vegetables from Lotus Pond had been getting better and better. Now, Yao Yun was getting supplies from several relatives in the village and had also gotten a listing at Huihe. Huihe had been reluctant at first, but since the supplies were from the local village and directly served the kindergarten, Xiao Fengyun reluctantly agreed.

Firstly, the kindergarten only served food to the children, so it was difficult for it to gain much notoriety in a closed environment. Secondly, the consumption at the kindergarten wasn’t very high.

There were only about 200 children, how much could they really eat? Plus, the vegetables from Lotus Pond were expensive. Yao Yun only bought two or three varieties at a time, to complement other vegetables.

Since Yao Yun had alleviated the pressure in this regard, she hadn’t asked Lin You to fulfill her previous promise.

Now that Lin You suddenly mentioned the watermelons being ripe, Yao Yun paused for a moment, then excitedly leaned forward: “Yes, yes, yes!”

Summer had arrived, and no summer was complete without watermelon!

Lin You replied, “Alright, will ten be enough for a day?”

Yao Yun thought for a moment: “Twelve, I think…”

It was better to have a surplus, just in case. Otherwise, if they ran out, it would be hard to explain.

As for the price, it was negotiable. Huihe was offering two yuan per watermelon, but Yao Yun spoke with the principal and managed to get a discounted price of one yuan fifty.

The principal also reminded Yao Yun, “When we hold the parent meeting, let’s ask for more—about twenty… no, thirty a day!”

Let the parents try some of the good things from the kindergarten!

Lin You calculated the output from her watermelon field and agreed to the request.

There weren’t many watermelons left, so Lin You decided to keep them for herself. If she couldn’t finish them, the calves and lambs could help. Yesterday, she had shared the watermelons with a few family members, and they were all very happy. Mengmeng even ate all the rind without leaving any behind.

“Well, the watermelon issue is sorted… next up is… honey.”

Speaking of which, honey had become a sweet burden. After sorting through the honey again, Lin You was truly surprised by the output from three hives. After only half a month, the hives were overflowing, and the house already had dozens of pounds of wildflower honey. If she didn’t sell some, there was no way her family could consume that much.

With so much honey, there was also an abundance of beeswax. Lin You had sent some beeswax to Xu Hui’s beauty salon several times. Xu Hui was thrilled.

“Send this batch to the factory for processing, and reserve a third for the VIP room.”

The previous batch of beeswax had been made into lip balms and lipsticks. Hundreds of lipsticks were nearly all sent out to partners and celebrity teams in the industry, with Xu Hui keeping a few sets for herself.

Although many celebrities didn’t use them at first, as the positive reputation of the lipstick spread, many teams realized the potential. They dug out the lipsticks sent by Xu Hui, which came in random colors, and a light yellow lip balm.

The lipstick was exceptional. Xu Hui had kept Bai Xunyue on her team because of Bai’s innate talent for color matching. The lipstick was universally flattering, surprising many celebrities who were impressed by the domestic brand’s ability to create such smooth, beautiful lip colors.

The lip balm was even better. Many celebrities, who wore makeup every day and had dry lips, found that after applying the balm, their lips felt like they had received a mask. Not only did their lip lines soften, but their lip color also lightened. Those with lip inflammation even found it cured.

As a result, Xu Hui’s beauty salon quickly received countless bookings. Regardless of fame, most celebrities wanted to come and try the products.

At this point, Xu Hui revealed the pricing. While the lipstick and lip balm weren’t for sale to the public, they were available exclusively to VIP customers. Regular members could only purchase them after spending a certain amount, with a limit on how many they could buy!

For the customers visiting, Xu Hui’s staff were extremely polite: “We will be launching many different products in the future. The next batch will include skincare creams and foundation liquids.”

What more could be said?

Some people immediately bought multi-year memberships, and some even deposited seven figures into their accounts.

It couldn’t be helped—working in the entertainment industry was harsh. Just look at the last variety show, where Mu Qingqing, simply because she used the wrong lipstick, was overshadowed and couldn’t lift her head.

It didn’t matter if she didn’t use it herself, but would she still be able to appear on the same stage as others?

Sigh, as Zhang Feifei said, these products were all sourced from Lin You. Unfortunately, she hadn’t had much interaction with Lin You in the past, so their relationship wasn’t that good. Otherwise, if she had worked on her connections, Xu Hui might have been more lenient.

But then she thought again—no matter how bad her relationship was, it still couldn’t compare to Mu Qingqing’s downfall. After all, Mu Qingqing had spent so much time dragging Lin You down, forcing her out of the entertainment industry. Now, Xu Hui hadn’t said anything offensive, but Mu Qingqing wouldn’t be coming to get a membership card anytime soon.

Thinking of this, the money spent seemed much more worthwhile.

Xu Hui, knowing the times, had sent part of the beeswax for product creation and kept another part in the VIP room, launching a beeswax facial mask treatment package.

The pearl powder, lemon honey, and beeswax were mixed together with some essential oils, and after applying it to the face, it was thick like milk with the water removed. After twenty minutes, when it was removed, the skin was smooth and radiant.

Xu Hui also had a Chinese medicine practitioner at the salon prepare some herbal powders. If anyone had special needs, they could add the herbal remedy.

In just a few days, many celebrities had received the news. Xu Hui clearly stated that when these items were finished, she would need to wait for Lin You to send the next batch.

Now many celebrities couldn’t sit still. Even if they were working in another city, they would take time off to return and get their facial treatments.

Xu Hui’s fame continued to grow, and the profits from her beauty salon made her smile with delight.

Lin You, still unaware, didn’t know that even though she had withdrawn from the industry, she was now more popular within the industry than she had been when she was active.

Many talent agencies had subtly reached out to Xu Hui, hoping she would connect them with Lin You. With Lin You’s current fame, reentering the industry would mean no one would dare bully her, and the company would certainly arrange her work and career path reasonably.

Xu Hui had even tried to ask Lin You indirectly, and after receiving her response, she rejected the offers from those companies.

“Why? The benefits we offer are excellent! The revenue sharing follows a top-tier contract!”

Xu Hui shrugged, with nothing more to say. People in the industry valued fame, while Lin You, who was now focused on gardening and farming, simply didn’t care about these matters anymore.

The agencies had to leave in frustration, while Xu Hui packed a box of products and sent them to Lin You.

When Lin You received the lipsticks, lip balms, moisturizers, eyebrow pencils, and foundation made from beeswax, she was talking to Xiao Fengyun, who had come to visit.

Xiao Fengyun’s daughter, Xiao Qiao, had developed a strong liking for lotus leaf tea. Lin You had dried and chopped the lotus leaves from her garden and added just a bit when making the tea. After drinking it for a week, Xiao Qiao’s weight dropped by more than a pound!

Xiao Qiao wasn’t fat to begin with, and anyone who knows dancers knows how hard it is to lose even a pound!

What was even more surprising was that Xiao Qiao hadn’t controlled her appetite at all and was still eating three meals a day. After losing the weight, her complexion didn’t worsen, on the contrary, her acne disappeared, and her skin became fairer.

Xiao Fengyun, skeptical at first, drank the tea for a few days. She had a naturally hot constitution and struggled every summer, but this year, she hadn’t felt uncomfortable! Her weight hadn’t decreased, but even after several nights of socializing and drinking, she hadn’t gained weight, and her skin had become much more delicate.

Confirming the effects of the lotus leaf tea, Xiao Fengyun hurried to find Lin You.

Lin You, holding a cat and sitting on a stool, gazed at the sky in bewilderment.

So, which divine being sent her this fortune?

Xiao Fengyun immediately started by quoting a price of fifty yuan for one pound of dried lotus leaves. The price was so high that Lin You felt a little guilty.

“Mr. Xiao, lotus leaf tea does have weight loss benefits, and the tea from my garden may be a little better, but it’s not to that extent…”

Xiao Fengyun had drunk the tea for a few days, so she knew very well whether it was effective or not.

“You’re being polite. I’m offering this price because it’s genuinely worth it. Or do you think it’s too cheap? We can discuss it.”

Lin You weakly replied, “No, I’m being honest, Mr. Xiao. I originally planned to sell the lotus leaf tea in my live stream store for about ten yuan a bottle… If you want, the fresh lotus leaves are ten yuan per pound.”

“To be honest, I’d prefer not to sell the tea in your store. Not because I’m worried about competing with your live stream store, but because your store mainly sells vegetables. Lotus leaves can not only be used for tea but can also be used in many dishes. If you focus only on targeting women who want to lose weight, not many people will get to enjoy the taste of lotus leaves, right?”

After thinking about it, Xiao Fengyun agreed. She could take the lotus leaves home, and if she liked making lotus leaf tea, she could dry them herself. If not, using the leaves to wrap a lotus leaf chicken sounded good too.

“Then it’s settled! Twenty yuan per pound, and you decide how much to order each day.”

Lin You didn’t budge on the supply amount, and it made sense. Her lotus pond was meant to be beautiful, and if all the lotus leaves were picked, it would lose its charm. A bare pond wouldn’t look as appealing.

After sending Xiao Fengyun off, Lin You unpacked the skincare products and cosmetics Xu Hui had sent. She left a few for Yao Jiu and put the rest in the bathroom.

“Phew, I’ve been a bit too diligent lately.”

“Yeah, I won’t be going out for the next few days.”

On the winding mountain road of Yanxia Mountain, Du Xun was driving with his wife, child, and mother.

“Mom, why did you have to come with us? The journey is so uncomfortable. It would have been better if I had booked a plane ticket for you, and Xiao Ru and Xingxing could have flown with you.”

Du Xun’s mother rolled her eyes. “What? You look down on my stamina?”

Du Xun replied, “You see how stubborn you are…”

His mother snorted. “I’m coming to stay for a long time this time. Don’t think I’ll just leave after two days.”

After returning to the city, Du Xun’s mother was reminded of her memories from her youth. As she grew older, she couldn’t help but keep mentioning how nice the mountain was. However, the house in her hometown had long since collapsed, and there were only a few families left in the village. Even if Du Xun wanted to fulfill his mother’s wishes, he couldn’t.

In the end, he decided to take his wife and child along and bring his mother to stay in Yanxia Mountain for two months, while the child was still not in kindergarten.

“Has the house in the town been built yet?”

Du Xun replied, “Not yet. I had my secretary buy a small property in the town before. It’s not expensive, so it’s just right for us to stay in this time.”

When the old lady heard this, she quickly asked, “Does the house have a yard?”

“It does, a very big yard.”

“Does it have a water well?”

“I didn’t ask about that.”

The old lady mumbled, and Du Xun listened closely—she was going on about how the water from the old-fashioned wells was cool and refreshing in the summer, making baths more comfortable.

Du Xun couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. “Mom, now every household has running water. Those old wells are not convenient anymore.”

You had to pour a bucket of water into it first before drawing any water, which was such a hassle.

“You don’t understand. A water well with a yard, now that’s what makes a house good.”

Recently, his mother had become more stubborn. “Go to the town and buy me some chicken chicks. I want to raise chickens. Once they grow up, I’ll stew them for Xingxing.”

Now, Xingxing, whose cheeks had become chubby, didn’t hear the earlier part, only catching the words “stewed chicken.”

“Stewed chicken! Yummy! I want to eat!”

Du Xun’s wife, Fei Ru, was holding some snacks for their son and couldn’t help but tease, “Is there anything you don’t think is tasty?”

Their son had developed quite an appetite after eating biscuits, and no one really knew what magic those biscuits had. Xingxing’s health had also improved a lot, and after a few days without biscuits, his appetite didn’t seem to shrink. It seemed that his appetite problems had been fundamentally corrected.

But this wasn’t exactly good news. Fei Ru used to worry when their son wouldn’t eat, and now she was just as worried because he kept eating so much.

The key was that her mother-in-law didn’t seem to care. Whatever Xingxing wanted to eat, she would give him.

“Mom, please stop mentioning stewed chicken. We all need to lose some weight.”

Du Xun was the owner of a biscuit factory, and he made sure no one would ever lose out. They had several boxes of biscuits at home, and the whole family ate them as snacks.

With all the snacking, Fei Ru was increasingly stressed about the ten pounds she had gained recently.

Du Xun’s mother-in-law had also gained about ten pounds, and Du Xun had become even more overweight, with his belly sticking out.

Fei Ru actually wasn’t used to living in the mountains. When she agreed to accompany her mother-in-law for two months, she thought the fresh air and clean food would give her a chance to rest and lose some weight.

As for Du Xun, he was there to inspect the situation at the shop and factory, while also meeting the up-and-coming artist who was designing the packaging, so they could finalize the packaging details.

The family drove to Fangping Town and arrived just in time to catch the tail end of the morning market.

From a distance, they saw a large number of cars blocking the road, and Du Xun was a little surprised.

“This is Fangping Town?”

How could there be so many people here in such a short amount of time?

After struggling to park the car at a temporary parking lot where someone was directing traffic, Du Xun took his wife, mother, and child through the morning market street to the house they had bought.

There were many more stalls at the morning market now. Most had already sold their goods, and the family bought some baked buns to eat as they walked, curiously looking around at the changes.

They walked all the way to the riverside, and Du Xun pointed to a two-story house with a red roof not far away. “That one.”

The house was good in every way, except that it was next to the river.

On the shallow riverbank, Yao Yun was organizing the items brought by the teachers from the kindergarten.

The principal, along with dozens of parents and children, was catching crabs on the riverbank. The adults wore rubber shoes, while the children who dared to wade into the water were carried by their parents, and those who didn’t were cheering from the shore.

“Dad, I saw a little crab!”

“Mom, be careful, don’t get pinched!”

Even the little kids were quite sharp.

Xingxing wiggled his legs, wanting to get down from his dad’s arms and run over to the riverbank to join the fun.

Just then, a quick-thinking parent managed to catch a fist-sized crab on the floating water plants in the shallow water and lifted it up to show his daughter.

A chubby little girl jumped up happily, saying, “Dad, you’re awesome!”

The big crab scared Xingxing, and he took three steps back. He had never seen such a fierce-looking creature before! Fei Ru wanted to pick him up, but Xingxing was still eager to stay by the shore, unwilling to leave.

Fei Ru nudged Du Xun. “Look at your son. He’s not going to stay here and mooch off others, is he?”

The group of people looked like they were from some organization, bringing their kids for a team-building activity. How could their family get mixed up in this?

Before Du Xun could respond, the principal, who had heard, noticed them.

Seeing that they had a child around three years old, she assumed they were prospective parents and called out to them.

“Hello, we’re from Sunflower Kindergarten. Today is the parents’ meeting. If you’d like to join, that’s fine. We have clean rubber shoes here.”

Fei Ru felt a bit embarrassed and was about to refuse, but Du Xun whispered, “We don’t come across this chance often, so why don’t we join in?”